hi, have been unable to find a similar thread/solution...i have used ubuntu previously, so am not a newbie, but then again, i'm not an expert.

i have 3 partitions, one currently Win 7, the other two i use for storing files etc. i have tried to install ubuntu, but am confused by the options that come up. i want to install ubuntu on the first partition, instead of Win 7.

i am given the option to install it over Win 7 (thus losing all files etc associated with windows), but it's unclear whether that option reformats (just) the first partition, or whether it reformats the whole drive (ie losing everything on the other two partitions too)?

i have had a look at the other options, which shows you all the partitions etc, but i found that very confusing, and did not want to make a mistake and risk losing all my data on the two partitions.

therefore, can someone clarify whether installing over win 7 will safely do so on the one partition, or whether it will clean the whole drive?

in the past i have installed ubuntu on a second (older) drive which made the install process easier for me to manage, but that drive has recently failed.

cheers.